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From the Editor's Desk
A few days later I discover I need reading glasses. Adding insult to injury, a few days after that, the AARP sends me a letter. What's next, a membership in the Fiber of the Month Club? I'm probably only a few weeks away from writing a column about the youngsters and their rock and roll music, and why don't they get a haircut. I'm already forgetting too many things these days. Pretty soon I'll be wandering around looking for my new reading glasses while they're perched on top of my noggin. When should I start worrying about my shrinking hair line and "growing problem" as the commercial puts it? Actually, I'm already getting, let's call it a sunroof up top. Bette Davis said getting older isn't for sissies, and ain't it the truth? But I shouldn't worry all that much. Most of my friends and family say I was born an old man, so I guess the rest of me is starting to catch up. Getting older isn't so bad. I've learned a lot on the way, and I figure I'm old enough now to realize that I'll learn a lot more as I go. I'm able to forgive easier now than ever. It's easier to shrug off some of the darts and arrows life sends my way. Some might call that perspective. And holding a grudge takes up energy that can be devoted elsewhere. Someone I once knew said he wanted to get back to the point where he was as a little kid, just caught up in the wonder and simple joys of life. While I can see the point he's driving at, I've never fully bought into the wisdom of it. There's a reason we gather up all these experiences in life, good and bad. Sure, once most of us get a few years out of college age, we've been disabused of quite a few idealistic notions, but there's nothing necessarily wrong with that either. The hard part often is not letting that turn one into a "warped, frustrated old man" as George Bailey put it in "It's a Wonderful Life." I've actually always enjoyed quite a few rewarding friendships with people a decade or four older than me. They've been through it, and they have a lot of wisdom they can impart if we just take some time to listen.
So here's to getting older.
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